NEWBIE! Can I put my new chicks in with my 4 week old chicks????

[Shkittles]

me and my mom are going to go to TSC thursday and getting 4 RIR pullets (we didn't order RIR's and mom REALLY wants them) and 2 Ducks (my first ever!), and we have 10 chicks in the brooder in our basement right now that will be 4 weeks old on Friday and since they're different ages i will have to put another lamp in there for the new chickies.

1. Would i would have to seperate them with a divider?

2. Would the older ones pick on the new ones?

3. Once little ones are big enough to join the big ones in the coop would the big ones pick on them or not???

!!!Thanks in advance!!!

!Shkittles!

 

[ging3rhoffman]

I am going through that right now. My 4 week old chicks were picking on my week old chicks so I put a screen in their brooder. They will hurt them if they are not protected. The little ones will catch up to the bigger ones and then they can be together. I am going to let mine out and watch them closely. I will sit with them for an hour and then put them back behind the screen if I see any nit-picking. Hopefully soon they can all be together. Ive been reading different threads and they say they can eventually be together. ps...the rhode island reds are so sweet. Treats really help with making friends with them. I give them warm oatmeal, bird seed and tiny pieces of toast. Dont forget to give them grit if you give them treats.

 

[ilovechickens]

I am going to go and pick up 3 three week old RR's (they are scrappy anyway) and put them in a heated coop, after a day I am going to add the 5 week olds. I have done this with older birds, moved them from their habitat into a foreign one and put younger chicks in their old home, and after a couple of days I put the old girls in with the younger ones and no problems, I will see how this goes with the chicks:

 

[Shkittles]

Quote:

Thanks that's what i was hoping to hear! When we got the older chicks there was also 17 RIR pullets and one would fall asleep in my hand everytime i picked her up, but i couldn't keep her because the Red's belonged to someone else. (that's the only problem with joint-orders= you get attached to a chick that's not yours! LOL)

!Shkittles!